Air-valve protector eor radiators



A. R. MORGAN.

AIR VALVE PROTECTOR FOR RADIATORS. APPLICATIOIN FIILEID MAR. 26, 1919.

"i J 4 n HI! m mm Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

AUGUSTUS R. MORGAN, 0F FARIBAULT, MINNESOTA AIR-VALVE PROTECTOR FOR RADIATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed March 26, 1919. Serial No. 285,266.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUcUsTUs R. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Faribault, in the county of Rice and State of Minnesota have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Valve Protectors for Radiators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, cheap and highly eflicient protecting case for the air valves of radiators; and to such ends, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The protecting case comprises two parts, to wit, back plate and inclosing shell, and this back plate and shell have interlocking parts that are adapted to be interlocked and disengaged quite readily by a person knowing the manner of manipulation, but which cannot be disengaged by any ordinary person not knowing the proper manner of manipulation for efl'ecting such result.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view with some parts broken away, showing the case applied around the air valve of a radiator, one of the radiator sections being shown in p Fig. 2 is a face view of the so-called back plate; and

Fig. 3 is a face view of that part of the shell that is engageable with the back plate.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 3.

A radiator section is indicated by the numeral 4 and its air valve by the numeral 5.

The back plate of the casing is indicated by the numeral 6 and the inclosing shell by the numeral 7. The back plate 6 is provided with a perforation through which is passed the threaded stem 5 of the valve. This threaded stem 5*, as is well known, is tapped into the radiator section. To further hold the back plate 6 secured to the radiator section 4, a screw 8 is applied therethrough and screwed into the radiator section. In the. arrangement illustrated, the valve 5 is extended upward from its stem 5*, and hence, the screw 8 is located above the stem 5 but in a reverse arrangement, that is, where the valve 5 is extended downward from its stem 5*, the screw 8 would be located below the stem 5*.

At the transverse central portion of its top, the back plate 6 is formed with a spring tongue or central portion 9, the free upper end of which is outwardly bent to form a cam surface at 9 and just below this cam surface, the tongue 9 has a lock slot or perforation 9'. Near its lower portion and at each side. the back plate 6 is provided with vertical slots 10 which, at their upper extremities, have inwardly extended notches 10 and at their outer extremities have outwardly extended notches 10 The shell 7, at the upper extremity of its inner face, is provided with a down turned: flange 11 which, at its transverse central portion has an inturned lock lug or extension 11 At its inner edges, near its lower end, the sides of the shell 7 are formed with inturned lock lugs or projections 12.

The operation of interlocking the shell 7 to the case 6 is as follows;

The lock lug 11 is placed on the inner surface of the bevel portion 9 of the tongue 9 and the lower portions of the sides of the shell 7 are pressed together so as to bring the lock lugs 12 into alinement with the notches 10 and the side portions of said lugs into alinement with the slots 10. Then the said lugs 12 are pressed backward through the notches 10 and then the entire shell is slid downward until the lug 11 is sprung into interlocking engagement with the notch 9 of the spring tongue 9 and this will carry the lugs 12 down into alinement with the notches 10. Then when the said inclosing shell is released, its side will spring apart and the stems of the lugs 12 will be carried into the notches 10". When the shell is thus interlocked to the base plate it will be held against vertical releasing movement, first by the engagement of the lug 11 with the notch 9 and, second, by the engagement of the lugs 12 with the notches back plate.

10 The shell can be released only by first springing the tongue 9 so as to carry the notch 9 thereof out of engagement with the lug l1, and then while the said notch is held disengaged from said lug, the sides of the lower portions of the shell 7 must be pressed inward and then the shell can be forced upward and disengaged from the However, the tongue 9 cannot be disengaged from the lug 11 by the lingers but only by a properly constructed tool which must be designed so that it can be inserted between the radiator section and the hack of the tongue 9, and then turned or otherwise manipulated so as to spring the tongue 9 outward. lVith a properly construc'ted tool, a person knowing the proper manner of manipulation, can easily remove the shell, but the removal of the shell by a person not having the proper tool or understai'iding the operation, would be practically impossible.

The shell 7, in its top, is preferably provided with one or more vent holes 13.

lhe device described may be made at small cost and very easily and quickly applied to the air valves of radiators. It may he made either plain or ornamental in appearance, so that it will add, rather than detract from the design of the radiator, and when applied, effectually prevents undesired manipulation of the air valve. In practice, it has been found that where the air valve is exposed, persons will frequently open the valve to permit the escape of air and then leave the same open for the desired escape of steam or water. Moreover, it frequently happens that these air valves are removed and stolen, and this, of course, will be prevented by the application of the protecting case.

As is well known, to remove the air valve requires rotation thereof on the axis of its stem 5 and, of course, when the case is applied, the said valve cannot be thus rotated, first because it cannot be reached, and second, because it cannot rotate within the shell. The shell, of course, is held against rotation on the axis of the stem 5" by the screw 8, and this screw cannot be reached or removed as long as the shell is interlocked to the back plate.

What I claim is:

1. A protecting casing for radiator air valves comprising a back plate and a shell, the said back plate and shell having interlocking parts capable of being engaged and disengaged by manipulation in a predetermined manner, and devices within the shell for securing the back plate to a radiator, and which latter devices are covered and protected by said shell so that they cannot be reached or manipulated while the shell is in working position.

A protecting casing for radiator air valves, comprising a back plate and a shell, said back plate having a springtongue and laterally spaced. verticalslots, said tongue having a lock notch and said slots having inwardly extended notches at their upper extremities and outwardly extended notches at their lower extremities, said shell having an upper end flange with an inturned lock lug for interlocking engagement with the notch of said spring tongue, and the said shell, at the lower portions of its sides, having inturned lock lugs insertible into the upper end notches of said slots and slidable downward through said slots into interlocking engagement with the lower notches of said slots.

3. The combination with a radiator and an air valve, the latter having a threaded stem. tapped into said radiator section, of a valve inclosing casing comprising a back plate and a shell, said back plate being clamped to said radiator section by the stem of said valve and having a screw further securing the same to the radiator section, and the said back plate and shell having interlocking parts adapted to be interlocked and disconnected by manipulation in a pre determined manner.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS R. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY D. KrLeonn, F. D. MERCHANT. 

